Not Meant to Serve
by Little-Angry-Kitten
Summary: It's on her eighteen birthday that she feels the change for the first time. On that night she feels the power wake up inside her. It takes over her body cell by cell. It claws its way out, kicking and screaming and she can do nothing to stop it. She's not sure she wants to, anyway.


A/N: To my amazing friends, Nicia and Lana, that looked this over I owe a huge thank you! My prompt couple was Hades and Persephone. For those that are not familiar with the myth, Hades fell in love with the Goddess of spring and stole her away to the underworld. The myth varies though and there's a version of it that reports that Persephone followed him willingly because she wanted to get away from all the men chasing after her. Even though their life together started a little bit rough at the end of the story Persephone loved Hades as much as he loved her.

* * *

 _She, who in the hell-halls of Hades feasts—_

 _Who ate from these, three pomegranate seeds,_

 _Maiden of Spring, became the Iron Queen._

 _Persephone by UltimateOutLaw_

* * *

It's on her eighteen birthday that she feels the change for the first time.

On that night she feels the power wake up inside her. It takes over her body cell by cell.

It claws its way out, kicking and screaming and she can do nothing to stop it. She's not sure she wants to, anyway.

She's still herself but also so much more.

Suddenly the cage they have locked her in is not enough. The golden bars it's made of can do nothing to please her. They are just suffocating her. She feels like a bird stripped of its freedom. A pretty bird that has been captured and forced to sing for others. Never to know what having the wind on your wings means again.

Her life as Gryffindor's Precious Princess is not enough.

Her relationship with Ron is not enough.

She needs more. She was born for more. She was born to conquer and rule. She was born to be a queen, not a pawn in other people's plots.

* * *

 _They've kept the truth_

 _about Persephone a secret_

 _burying it deep below._

 _Persephone by Emily Palermo_

* * *

Everyone has a different version of her in their mind.

To some, she's a stuck-up, know-it-all that likes to put others down.

To some, she's a loving friend that would die for them if need be as she proved time and time again.

To some, she's an ungrateful lover that only thinks of her needs and no one else's.

In reality, she's all of those things wrapped in one body and more.

They say she has changed and they are not wrong.

The press, her friends, her enemies.

Everyone has an opinion to offer. One that she didn't ask for but was provided with anyway.

They were used to a woman giving everything she has without a question.

They were used to a woman that would walk through fire to make others happy.

They were used to a woman that took no prisoners when it came to justice.

She's no longer that woman.

She's a different person now.

She can feel it in her bones.

Or maybe she has always been that person but was just locked inside a prison.

A prison that can no longer keep her under lock and key.

* * *

 _She swallowed the seeds as_

 _willingly as she will one day_

 _swallow the world._

 _Persephone by D.S._

* * *

There's a period of adjustment.

For everyone.

Where even she has to rearrange the way she looks at herself.

The way she looks at both the worlds she's a part of.

She starts off by finding a new place, closer to Muggle London. She needs to be out of the house she shared with Ron. The girl who used to sleep in that bed is dead now.

Then she changes her clothes. She switches to a more casual style. Nice, comfy dress pants, cashmere blouses, she gives herself everything she has refused to for many years. After all, she can afford it.

Soon after he comes into her life.

The one she always hated.

The one that always hated her.

The one that made a habit of fighting her tooth and nail.

Yet he's the only one that didn't ask for an explanation.

He looks at her like he's known her since forever. In a way, she thinks he does because she doesn't need to explain anything to him.

He's the only one that just accepts the old her is gone and she has evolved. He's not scared of that thing within her. On the contrary, it seems like he loves it.

She has changed to something more powerful, something simply divine.

At least he worships her as such.

* * *

 _He calls me his lady_

 _but he knows_

 _I am a queen._

 _Persephone Speaks by A.C._

* * *

He's changed too since their school years.

His hard edges have softened. He's more willing to talk now. Sometimes she wonders what changed. Sometimes she wants to ask him. She doesn't.

His eyes, too, look more thoughtful. Like they've seen many sides of the same story. Like they have seen what reality is like a little too close.

His expressions are also more prudent. Gone is the spoiled brat she knew at school. His air of arrogance too. It's like someone beat them out of him and in some ways this is true. Someone did force choices he didn't want to make on him. Choices that messed up his life.

The way he looks at the world is more rounded now. He has opinions on many things, magic and muggle alike. It surprises her, that much she'll admit.

He says it's because he's traveled between the magical and the muggle world. He has seen new things. He has experienced different cultures and Hermione raises an eyebrow when he says he has found the magic in muggle rituals and traditions.

But she knows the change is also because of the horror he witnessed during the war. None of them came out of it unscathed.

The kind of things they had both seen would break even the strongest person.

Maybe they had.

Maybe they are not as well off as she thinks.

Maybe the reason they find comfort in each other is because of what they have been through.

Maybe it's because he doesn't ask for more than what she can give.

* * *

 _Persephone is having sex in hell._

 _Unlike the rest of us, she doesn't know what winter is,_

 _only that she is what causes it._

 _Persephone The Wanderer by Louise Gluck_

* * *

Becoming one with him is always a different experience.

Sometimes he's rough. Sometimes he'll bend her over her desk and fuck her until her voice is gone. He'll pull her hair and mark her skin and she will let him. Sometimes she will mark him too.

She'll let him do as he pleases because it makes her shake and quiver. Because it feels nice to let go for once and let someone else take over. Because it feels nice to let someone else take care of her for a change.

Other times he'll lay her on her bed and take his time. It will take him all night, sometimes all morning too and he will explore every inch of her body. He'll lick, and kiss and tease until her body is humming underneath him and she's left purring from pleasure.

She'll let him take control because he's changed. She'll let him take control because she has changed. She'll let him take control because they are no longer the people they were during their school years. She'll let him take control because she trusts him.

Therealisation surprises her.

* * *

 _One month to pluck your heartstrings,_

 _two months to seize your kingdom,_

 _and the third to rule it._

 _I am not meant to serve by S.A._

* * *

She hasn't been back to the Manor since that fateful night. Since that night Bellatrix carved her skin with hate and laughed when she screamed. She's a good witch, she can erase the damage. She can glamour it so no one can see it. She doesn't want to, she needs people to know. She needs everyone to know that she was strong, she survived and she can handle anything they throw her way. Even one of the darkest witches of their world.

Just the idea only of being back used to give her nightmares. It used to haunt her and keep her awake for days. Especially the first few years after the war ended. She would wake up drenched in sweat, feeling like Bellatrix was still on top of her. She wouldn't be able to go back to sleep after.

Until this new power within her forced her to face all her fears. One by one. First Bellatrix and her nightmares. Then her fear of failure. Everything seemed to fade away due to the voice whispering in her head.

' _Go ahead. Do it. I'll be right here.'_ It murmurs in the back of her mind.

So she does.

He's surprised for all of two seconds when she asks him to take her back to his house but does it anyway. He hasn't refused anything she has asked so far. She doesn't think he'll ever tell her 'no'.

He trusts her as much as she trusts him.

Her hands are shaking as they apparate to the gates of the Manor. She almost bolts the other way but the voice inside her head is insisting.

 _'Go.'_

 _'Just walk in.'_

 _'Face your fears.'_

They stand outside for a moment. There's nothing but endless green around them. The manor is located far away from civilization anyway. Hidden carefully from muggle eyes, giving as much privacy as possible.

The iron gates part with a move of his hand, recognising their master. For a moment she wonders if she'll ever be able to do the same thing. If she'll ever be able to make the magic behind the gates bow down to her. His family is one of the most powerful after all. A perfect match for her. They are walking down the long rocky pathway. Her heart is beating fast, she feels like fainting and then they are before the manor doors.

He pushes the heavy wood open, steps in. She takes a deep breath and follows him.

 _And then…_

And then a low, deep humming shakes the foundation of what he calls home. It feels like the magic within the walls recognises her own. Like it accepts her as one of their own and then everything falls into place.

"It used to be a sacred place." He explains. His words sound far away as she's breathing the changes in. She walks deeper into the hallway, touching the walls as she goes. Humming back to that sweet music that plays in her head like a vinyl record. There used to be a terror in here, it tells her. It doesn't like it, the thing living between the walls wants the darkness gone. It's asking her if she would help. She nods in her mind and the raw magic takes over her. The manor's soul accepts her for what she is like its master.

For what she is going to become.

As if it can see the future.

Who knows, maybe it can.

* * *

 _You asked me, mother, why I only ate six seeds, then_

 _and I didn't know what to say, way back when._

 _Persephone's Confessions by H.C.R._

* * *

His parents don't question their relationship. At least not in the open way her friends do.

But she can see the way they look at her. His father is scared and he should be. He managed to escape Azkaban but that doesn't mean he is innocent. She has her eyes on him and she would be damned if she let him do any more harm. The manor's magic seems to agree with her.

His mother is a whole different story. Narcissa Malfoy is an exceptional witch. The first thing Hermione notices is that she's as strong as her. Smart too, clever enough to outdo even Voldemort. The manor says it likes Narcissa, it hums pleasantly when the Lady Malfoy is around. Like now, for example, Hermione can hear the soft hum while the warm summer sun is over them. She's found herself enchanted with the manor gardens in the last few months. They spread before them and it feels like there are miles and miles of rose beds. Beautifully staged to delight anyone that dares to lay eyes on them. She'll often wander the rocky paths admiring the perfect picture they paint.

"It's enchanted." The blonde woman explains as she places the beautiful ring between them on the table. It's a simple white gold band that wraps around your finger, twisting only to end up as two separate snakes snuggling to each other, circling a shiny emerald. So very Slytherin of him, but Hermione wouldn't expect anything less.

"Enchanted how?" She asks and Narcissa smiles warmly. She wants to touch it, but something holds her back. For all, she knows it can kill her. She has learned to be wary of magical artifacts.

"If you decide to wear it," Narcissa takes a sip of her tea. "If you decide to commit to what it symbolizes you can never go back. You will always be tied to him and this family." It dawns on her that maybe this is why Narcissa hasn't left. Then again, her eyes don't say as much. Hermione sees a lot of herself in the older woman. She's powerful and smart and once upon a time she ate the pomegranate seeds a guy gave her too. But not unwillingly, never unwillingly. She nods, tracing the cool lines of the ring. "Think about it before you agree to anything." She says quietly. "Really think about it, Hermione."

Her decision is made already.

* * *

 _Mother, you don't understand; I made Hades run to me_

 _He saw my bones beneath and offered me half his kingdom._

 _Do you really think I ate the fruit unwillingly?_

 _Persephone's Return by A.M._

* * *

There's a very formal announcement and then all hell breaks loose. Rita Skeeter is the first to come after them, asking for more. An interview. A photo shoot. A front page in the Prophet. She's not getting them and she knows it. Draco refuses politely, too politely for Hermione's taste. Surprisingly his circle takes it better than hers. Not all his friends like her but they will be polite, she suspects he has warned them. She doesn't mind, in fact, she finds it sweet. There's not much these people can say or do to her.

Her friends on the other hand...

They are a whole other story. Everyone is moaning and complaining about her decision as if they have any saying in it. As if she should take into account their needs instead of her own. She doesn't. The only person even remotely supportive is Luna, but that's just how her peculiar friend is. When Molly comes after her asking what kind of spell has fogged her mind Hermione puts an end to it. She explains in great detail why she made the choices she did, why her relationship with Ron never worked, why all that she was offered wasn't enough. She also explains to Molly that she understands if the older woman would like to keep her distance but that won't change the fact that she's becoming the next Lady Malfoy.

The ring on her finger feels like it has always been a part of her, its coolness reassuring in when she feels lost. Hermione knows, she just knows this is where she's supposed to be. In this bed, with his arms wrapped around her tight. With his fingers tracing her naked flesh.

This is where she was always meant to be.

* * *

 ** _Epilogue:_**

She busies herself by preparing the flower beds for the coming spring. She has taken it upon herself to do this all alone, shooing away anyone that tries to offer even just a tiny bit of help. Anyone, be it her annoying friends that would not leave them alone or his reluctant comrades that try to bond with her. She insisted on doing this solo even if it took her hours. Draco would never complain though, he loves sitting under the gazebo, a cup of tea and the morning paper in his hands while she works. He just loves watching Granger move around in a place she has made her own.

To this day he still cannot believe his luck. He cannot believe that such a kind and exquisite creature would give him the time of the day. That she would be willing to overlook his past or maybe even forgive it and give him a chance. But against all odds she did. She ignored everyone around her that insisted someone like her should find someone less evil, less poisonous, less damaged. She didn't, instead, she stayed with him. Draco knows they all see him as the dark lord of the underworld in this story. He is the cruel god that took the goddess of spring away from her kingdom and refused to give her back.

No one saw her hand taking his willingly that very first time, though. No one saw how unhappy she was on that big throne they had placed her and worshiped the soil beneath her feet. No one saw the true goddess hidden underneath the veil of perfection they had weaved for her. No one but him.

She pats down the last part of dirt making sure the roots of the rose bush were covered. Looking towards him, she takes off her gloves and places a hand on the small of her back. At first, it worried him that she wanted to do all this physical work so late in her pregnancy but their healer said it was fine. As long as she was careful, the baby was doing absolutely fine. Raising herself carefully she dusts off the dirt from her clothes and moves towards him. The family hounds moving around her, ready to protect her from everything. The blasted things hate everyone but his wife, for her they will roll on their backs as soon as she coos. They did almost rip Potter apart once though. That was a fun day.

"He's restless today." She sighs as he helps her into a chair, her cup of tea already in-front of her.

"He's taking after his mother then." He jokes and she kicks him under the table. He leans over and places a soft kiss on her forehead. Draco takes her in for a moment. She is relaxed. Always smiling, always busying herself with something. In the beginning, he had been scared that she would run away, that somehow she would realise that he was not worth it and just leave. But she hadn't, she is still here. "Granger?" Her eyes snap to his, warm brown meeting cool gray.

"Yes?" She smiles brightly.

"Are you happy?" He asks. His voice small, almost too scared of the answer.

"More than I could ever hope for." She answers and grabs his hand, placing a kiss on the inside of his palm. Draco nods, understanding in his eyes.

It doesn't matter what everyone else says. She has come to the Underworld willingly. She has chosen to run this kingdom and this is enough for him.

 _~The End~_


End file.
